Ebola Outbreak Prank Probed By East Lyme Police

EAST LYME, CT — What started as a prank between two people in East Lyme resulted in a police investigation into a report of an Ebola outbreak, according to authorities.

The hoax started just before 4 p.m. with a text message to an employee of an unnamed East Lyme business indicating "that there was a serious Ebola outbreak in East Lyme and to please stay indoors, and to use a medical grade mask until further notice," wrote East Lyme police on the department's Facebook page.

The business notified the Ledge Light Health District, which then notified the police. But after interviewing the sender and recipient of the text, officials quickly determined that it was a prank.

However, Ledge Light was forced into posting about the hoax after some news outlets reported about it.

"All parties in this case were interviewed and it has been confirmed that only one individual received this text message," wrote East Lyme police. "We have also confirmed that no criminal intent existed."

Image via Shutterstock